Directed by:
John CarpenterScreenplay:
Bill LancasterCinematography:
Dean CundeyComposer:
Ennio MorriconeCast:
Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, T.K. Carter, David Clennon, Keith David, Richard Dysart, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Richard Masur, Thomas G. Waites (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
MacReady (Kurt Russell) and his team of twelve Antarctic researches unearth and inadvertently defrost a hideous, 100,000-year-old alien life form. Havoc ensues as the isolated scientists struggle with a foe that is a shape-shifting misanthrope. The remaining men are soon faced with the task of determining who's who in order to ensure their survival. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (13)
Perhaps I’m overly sensitive to the genetic transformations of people in movies, but the first time I saw The Thing, when I was an eighth grader at elementary school, I couldn’t sleep all night and was sweating like I had a fever. It was a terrifying experience. I vowed to never watch another horror movie. However, that intense experience was also the reason that horror later became my favorite genre. The Thing has a unique atmosphere of isolation and despair, which is perfectly supported by Morricone’s gloomy music, timeless special effects and a wonderfully dark, pessimistic ending. It’s a precisely paced horror movie that gradually tightens the noose around your neck and it’s an existential downer almost from the start to finish, with some of the most terrifying horror scenes ever.
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I had chills running down my spine throughout this outstanding horror sci-fi. Carpenter’s style is put to ample use here and the B-movie make-up suddenly looks darn convincing. The subject is excellent and has great potential in itself, maybe slightly B-movie, but high quality. The atmosphere of anticipation, distrust and secrecy grows by the minute. Kurt Russell gave perhaps his best ever performance in The Thing, and when I think about it, Carpenter did too. The carefully build up in atmosphere in combination with Morricone’s music creates an amazing experience making for a rather sleepless night ;).
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Carpenter's The Thing is, without question, the scariest sci-fi horror film of all time. An orgiastic atmospheric experience that cuts deep into your nervous system from the very opening moments, in an oppressive and bleak setting, with a cold and unbearably depressing directorial rhythm and accompanied by a chilling soundtrack or physically disgusting (or cinematically beautiful) gore effects, only to place a devastating charge at the end and scatter even the last vestige of hope and light. A brilliant, incredibly compact film that never wavers, even with a single shot or spoken line, from its predetermined, most beautiful and purest imaginable genre path... One of those very few films I really never get tired of. 100%
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In my opinion, this is the best film by John Carpenter, who managed to extract the maximum out of the B-movie concept and, thanks to his excellent and imaginative direction, created a lasting cult film in the horror genre. The film is based on John W. Campbell's short story "Who Goes There?" from the classic golden era of American science fiction, and although it is often rumored that the film is usually weaker than the book, Carpenter knocked out Campbell. By the way, it is a remake, as the first film version was already made in 1951. While in the story, the creature takes on the form of a classic alien from space, Carpenter works with hints and combines solutions to scientific problems while creating a paranoid atmosphere of distrust and horror, where nobody knows if the person in front of them is really who they claim to be. Excellent camera work and music, very decent special effects shots for its time, but above all, a screenplay that maintains tension until the last second. The whole film builds up to a chilling, depressing, and completely hopeless ending. It was a very helpful role for Kurt Russell. It is also noteworthy that at the time, the film was coldly received not only by critics but also by the audience, and then it slowly gained recognition among film fans before becoming a classic. Carpenter managed to create a more emotional work with minimal resources than Scott did with a huge budget and the support of an influential film studio in Alien. Overall impression: 95%.
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I'll admit this one got me. As always, great atmosphere (I managed to nibble on the Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film while watching it), decent Morricone music, a pretty good Kurt Russell, really good visual effects for its time and above all a brilliant ending. I love this movie!
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Gallery (193)
Photo © Universal Pictures
![The Thing - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/462/160462661_0ed599.jpg)
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